What would you recomend for lighting?

HPS is going to output more lumens = more and denser buds, but more heat comes with it. So you'll need a way ventilate it out.

What kind of area are you using?

With the LED you'll have less lumens, but you'll also have less heat as well.

 

how big are you trying to go with this grow?

right now, I'm using both HPS and LED, 150W and 126W units respectively. The small HPS kicks out much less heat into my tent than i expected. With the ballast located outside of the tent, it doesn't add any more heat (noticeably) than my led unit.

After this next harvest i'm going to form my own opinion as to how well [my] LEDs work in comparison to tried and true HPS lighting. check it out if you've got some freetime. /thread hijack

So, again, what is your goal with your grow? how many plants/how much area are you trying to cover?

 

Your question spawns several other questions that need to be answered prior to a best-practice lighting answer.

1. Do you want to use the same lights for vegging and flowering?

2. Would you like to use LEDs for vegging and then HPS for flowering?

3. What size grow area, in square feet, are you lighting?

4. How large do you intend to grow your plants in height and area?


IF you are going to use the same lights for flowering as vegging, then HPS would be your best bet. Using smaller lights that add up to full coverage at 5K lumens per/sq ft of canopy is better than one massive light in the middle that gives the same lumens per/sq ft of coverage.

IF you want to use LEDs for vegging, and have the time for them to be their most effective, then you can use as little as 28 watt LEDs over each plant for a month and then switch to HPS for maxed out flowering.

If you would please, answer the questions above and you'll get much more accurate answers for what you intend to do.

 

hello mate,

this LED malarky still has not impressed me. I see that its all good for vegging but when it comes down to flowering, the led lights just dont cut it imo.

I just use 600 hps from vegging, flowering all the way to harvest.

peace
eastman

 

I would never go with LED right now. Maybe for vegging. CFL for vegging, and while I'm currently running CFL for flowering (315 ACTUAL Watts. Not equivelent, bit thing with CFL's) i'm switthing to HPS for flowering next grow.

 

I sure understand your hesitation to use LEDs now. I avoided them for years. On just my last crop, I used them for only the rooting of my clones. The clones grew about 500% better than they ever had. Stocky, awesomely branched and with nodes almost touching each other. The 4 inch clones looked so impressive that I'll never again use anything else for rooting.

The crop I have flowering right now is that bunch of clones. I continued growing them into vegging by using a single 28 watt GlowPanel45 over each plant at 4-6 inches from the tops. The growth in height was much slower than with either MH or HPS, but the incredible health of the entire plant, massive branching and greatly reduced inter-nodal length was continued throughout the vegging cycle. Again, I'll never use anything else for vegging or rooting.

For flowering, however, I still think HPS is the best you can do. I've tried MH/HPS, HPS and CMH for flowering. None worked as well as 100% HPS.

I'll be running some test grows using LEDs for flowering. I'll create a grow journal for that test. I'm going to use a 30W" x 30D" x 36"H grow box with the 28 watt LED panel 4 inches above the plant for it's entire grow. I'll start flowering when the rooted clone is 4" tall and fully sexualy mature.

 

if you would like to grow the best bud possible, you need one 1000 watt halide bulb and one 1000 watt hps bulb both with at least 6" hoods... this is the best way to optimize your plants light intake and growth. period point blank. no questions asked, the blue haide light for veg and the red hps light for flower are the ones.

 

I don't agree with part of what you've said. The size of lights depends entirely on how large his grow area will be at maximum growth. If his area is too small or has too little height, the 1K lights would fry his plants. If his grow area is too large, the 1K lights may not be enough.

*IF* the thousand watts is the correct amount, it would be better to use two 430 watt lights spread evenly over the crop than one single light in the middle. When the lumens are spread evenly over the entire crop, the canopy management is easier and more effective in producing the largest buds over-all.

It all depends on the size of his grow and the size of his grow space. There is no way to estimate the light size or quantity of lights without knowing that first. Knowing what type of growing system is also very important. If he's using CO2, more light is necessary than without the CO2. If he's using Hydroponics, more light is also needed than with some dirt grows.

There are no "period-point-blank" lighting requirements to growing weed. The amount and type of light is dependant on many variables.

I'm not trying to be a "Know-It-All" or a smartass, but this guy is new and needs to know all the varying requirements for his grow *before* he starts it. Otherwise, he'll come back and say "You killed my plants with your information", because the information didn't fit the variables of his grow.

 

is this true??? i have 485 total watts in the pic...was goin to switch to 600 w hps next grow...ur saying more little lights are better???

 

Ok, with a grow area the shape and size you have, you would want to light the 2 foot diameter, not the 4 foot length with each light if using multiple lights.

You have a total of 8 square feet of space; ie: 2' x 4'.

A pair of 250 watt MH would bring your lumen count to 7,250 lumens per/sq ft.

The light would be nice and even across the entire grow and give you a great amount of lumens per/sq ft.

If you used a single 400 watt, you'd have about 6,750 lumens per/sq ft and the light wouldn't be spread as evenly as with the 250's.

Using two 400's would be kind of overkill and your cost to harvest weight ratio would suck.

You can use either 2ea, 250 watt MH for vegging or 2ea, 250 watt HPS for the entire grow. Using a switchable MH/HPS ballast would be the most effective for costs.

Remember, in the weed growing venture, you can't do without light. I *always* have a backup ballast and bulbs on hand. Sooner or later you'll need them anyway, and if your ballast *or* one of your bulbs go out on you, you're crop will suffer if you have to wait a week or more for a replacement.

7 plants in 8 square feet is a difficult grow unless you're growing known female, sexually mature plants from clones and intend to keep them very small. It can be done easily by a seasoned grower, but not by someone who is new to the game.

Growing the same strain is also important. If you grow a bunch of different strains in the same grow, each will have it's own tolerances to nutes, light, heat and humidity. You'll be making the task of growing more difficult than needed.

Find a strain you'll love and grow only that strain in a single grow area. I promise you it will be the easiest way and have the least problems to deal with.

 

As long as the spectrum of light and the lumens per/sq ft are within the proper spans, then yes, more lights to equal the proper amount of lumens is better for several reasons. The lights can be placed closer to the plant canopy and the light is more evenly spread throughout the grow which will in turn provide better reflected light to the plants nearest the walls of the grow area.

ie: you can't use 500 watts of incandescent lights and have it equal two 250 watt MH. The light spectrum, plant usable lumens and heat throw off of incandescent lights are not good for plants.

 

There are many reasons to grow only one strain in each grow area.

1. Lighting tolerance or need is different with many strains.

2. Nutrient tolerance or need is different with many strains.

3. Temperature tolerance is different with many strains.

What will work with one strain may cause severe harm to another. I've seen so many people fight their way through a grow of multiple strains. Statements like "My African Toenail is growing perfectly but my Sandust Gritmeister is dying. What am I doing wrong?"

Well, the two strains like two completely different environments. You can't grow one correctly and expect the other to just take what kills it.

For example; White strains are notorious for a lack of tolerance for nutrient strength. Most will only tolerate about half what other strains take in stride.

If you grow a White Strain with a Non-White strain, many times, the White Strain will punk out and grow like crap. Like it's being poisoned.

My best advice to anyone who is not an experienced grower with many, many types of strains in their experience, GROW ONLY ONE STRAIN AT A TIME.

Why make life more difficult than necessary? Grow the other strain next time.

 

the above is very very sound advice!!!

thanx for putting it so simply brother.

peace
eastman